


The Oath Keeper

by stolen_pen_name23



Series: Whumptober 2020 [7]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy
Genre: Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, BAMF Obi-Wan Kenobi, Blood and Injury, Canon-Typical Violence, Everybody Lives, Force Exhaustion (Star Wars), Gen, Hurt Anakin Skywalker, Hurt Obi-Wan Kenobi, Hurt/Comfort, Master & Padawan Relationship(s), Obi-Wan Kenobi Needs a Hug, Padawan Anakin Skywalker, Protective Obi-Wan Kenobi, Self-Sacrifice, Whump, Whumptober 2020
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-15
Updated: 2020-10-20
Packaged: 2021-03-08 23:26:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,030
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27025021
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stolen_pen_name23/pseuds/stolen_pen_name23
Summary: When Anakin is mortally wounded, Obi-Wan will do anything to save his Padawan, even if it means sacrificing himself. This is a prompt fill for Whumptober 2020: Magical Healing.
Relationships: Obi-Wan Kenobi & Anakin Skywalker
Series: Whumptober 2020 [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1951717
Comments: 23
Kudos: 242
Collections: Whumptober 2020





	1. Fight and Defend

He wasn’t going to make it. 

Obi-Wan knew in his soul that his Padawan was dying in his arms, slipping farther and farther away from him. Obi-Wan had his hands pressed down tightly on the gaping puncture wound in Anakin’s stomach. Blood seeped in between his fingers and clotted under his nails. His efforts were making no difference. 

They had been doing diplomatic work on a war-torn planet. As peacekeepers on the planet, they were supposed to have immunity, but Obi-Wan knew all too well that diplomatic immunity meant little to a disgruntled people. Still, Obi-Wan had hoped it would be an uneventful mission. As usual, his hopes were dashed.

They had been taken on a tour of the prime minister’s palace gardens when they were ambushed by insurgents. The insurgents were heavily armed and well trained. The prime minister and his guards were taken out quickly. It was clear they had been the original targets. Obi-Wan and Anakin were the only two left standing. Their blue lightsabers moved with fluid, practiced motion – but even Jedi could be overwhelmed by a large enough group of highly trained radicals. 

Obi-Wan had skillfully been defending himself from his own small group of insurgents when he felt a white-hot flare in the Force. He knew immediately that Anakin had been injured. 

The teenager let out a surprised gasp and when Obi-Wan turned to look at his Padawan, he couldn’t help but have stomach-turning flashbacks to six years prior. 

_ No, no not again, not like this. _

A magna spear was sticking out of Anakin’s gut. The Padawan’s eyes were wide with surprise and confusion. He let out a harsh yelp as the insurgent pulled out his weapon. Anakin fell to the dusty ground in a lifeless heap.

Obi-Wan’s heart leapt into his throat and with a newfound determination, he summoned the Force around him and expelled the energy from his body. All of the insurgents were pushed far back in a wide circle. He sidestepped towards Anakin and stood over him like a loth hound protecting his pup. 

He saw Anakin’s lightsaber on the ground, just out of Anakin’s reach. Obi-Wan summoned it to his left hand and stood in a defensive stance. As the insurgents regrouped, they came charging towards Obi-Wan with newfound vigor. He ignited the sabers, their gentle hum a siren song to the attackers charging towards him. 

With practiced ease, he parried and lunged at the insurgents, but he never abandoned his position protecting Anakin – always protecting Anakin. He grit his teeth and blocked a magna spear that got dangerously close to his chest. Lips curled in a snarl, he used Anakin’s blade to cut off the offending arm of his attacker. The limb and the weapon it was holding clattered to the ground and Obi-Wan landed a killing blow just as another attacker took this one’s place. 

He needed to end this and he needed to end it soon.

One by one, he disarmed and cut down each and every insurgent until he was surrounded by a ring of bodies. Panting with exertion, he disengaged the two lightsabers and dropped to his knees next to Anakin.

“Anakin,” he whispered breathlessly. He immediately began putting pressure on the open wound, staring in dismay as blood squeezed between his fingers. 

“Master,” Anakin croaked weakly. “It hurts.”

“I know, Anakin. Just hang in there for me alright?”

“I… I don’t think I can.”

“Yes, you can Ani. You’re so strong. Stay with me, please,” Obi-Wan pleaded. 

Obi-Wan could feel Anakin’s spirit weakening in the Force. He knew he wasn’t going to make it. 

They were running out of time. 

_ Not again. _

Out of sheer desperation, Obi-Wan closed his eyes and positioned himself deeply in the Force. He then focused on pushing that energy through his body and into his hands. He hovered his blood-stained palms over Anakin’s wound and willed the Force to flow through him and into Anakin’s failing body. 

Obi-Wan was not properly trained in the healing arts. Sure, he had gotten quite good at fixing minor injuries – cuts, bruises, broken bones. He’d never healed anything this bad before. He wasn’t convinced he could, but he had to try.

He could feel his life force draining, but it didn’t matter. He had sworn an oath, not just at the rushed Padawan ceremony, but to his late Master. He owed it to Qui-Gon. He owed it to Anakin. This was the chosen one. The chosen one needed to live. 

Obi-Wan’s vision blurred. His whole body shook from the effort, but he pressed on. As  _ difficult  _ as training Anakin could be from time to time, Obi-Wan loved him more than he had ever loved anything. It was a fact he kept close to his chest, but it was the truth. He saw him as the little brother he never had. Even if all of the life was drained from his body at this moment it wouldn’t matter because he would have at least  _ tried  _ to save Anakin’s life. 

“Come on, Anakin,” Obi-Wan whispered, sweat dripping into his eyes. “Wake up. Please wake up.”

Obi-Wan couldn’t tell if he had made any progress at all in healing the wound. Anakin’s stomach was covered in too much blood to tell if he was healing or still mortally wounded. He continued his effort, knowing full well that it could be entirely in vain.

Just as Obi-Wan’s vision was darkening and his breathing becoming more labored, Anakin gasped. He sat up quickly, eyes wide in panic.

“Master?” he said with confusion. 

“Ani… it’s okay…” Obi-Wan panted before collapsing on his side, lost to the world but content in knowing his Padawan was alive. 

He had kept his oath.


	2. Vigil

Anakin gasped awake. 

Confusion populated his mind.

_ How am I alive? _

Panic coursed through his veins when he looked down and saw his blood-covered torso. However, confusion returned when his hands ran over the hole in his shirt. His skin was in tact and what had only moments ago felt like a searing fire in his stomach now only felt like a dull ache. He looked up at Obi-Wan, who was swaying slightly despite being positioned on his knees.

“Master?” 

“Ani… it’s okay…”

It was most certainly not okay, Anakin concluded as Obi-Wan fell lifelessly on his side. His legs were curled inward and his arms were stretched out in front of him, as though he were still reaching for Anakin.

“Master?” Anakin said with alarm. 

_ What’s happening? _

Anakin was confused. One minute, he was sure he was dying, the next, he was almost completely healed, his Master lying lifeless by his side.

Anakin had a moment of clarity.

“ _ No,”  _ he whispered, panic creeping into his voice. “No, no tell me you didn’t, Master.”

Obi-Wan didn’t reply.

Anakin immediately rolled Obi-Wan onto his back and searched for a pulse. He breathed a heavy sigh of relief when he found one. It was weaker than Anakin would have liked, but it was there. He was also relieved to see Obi-Wan’s chest rise and fall steadily. 

Anakin beheld the scene around him 

They were completely surrounded by the bodies of the insurgents who had attacked them. They were all dead. Some of them were missing limbs while others looked like they had been stabbed through, similar to the way he himself had been. The air reeked of copper and burnt flesh.

As his eyes passed over the bodies of the prime minister and his guards, Anakin recognized that they might not be completely safe yet. He grabbed both of their lightsabers, which were laying discarded by Obi-Wan’s side, and stood up slowly. They were on the edge of the property and were close to a dense grouping of trees. This is likely where the insurgents had been hiding in the first place, waiting for their chance to strike. Anakin couldn’t be sure that more wouldn’t be waiting in there, and he knew he was not in a good position to fight off more of the skilled warriors, especially if he had to guard Obi-Wan on top of that. 

He knelt back down by Obi-Wan’s side.

“Come on, Master, wake up. We need to go,” Anakin pleaded.

Obi-Wan didn’t respond.

Anakin pressed against Obi-Wan’s side of their bond but came back with nothing. His energy was completely drained. If Anakin didn’t have physical proof, he wouldn’t know Obi-Wan was still alive. 

The prime minister had to have more guards, Anakin reasoned with himself. They would come looking for him eventually. The property they were on was huge, but he hoped the guards would search for them soon. Anakin didn’t have it in him to drag Obi-Wan all the way back to the palace. Still, he wanted to get away from the open area they were in. He got to shaky feet and carefully lifted Obi-Wan up. Anakin was growing quickly, but Obi-Wan was still a few good inches taller than him. He was also heavier than Anakin was, and at the moment, he was dead weight. Anakin only managed to drag him a few feet before he himself crashed back to the ground. He scraped his palms on the gravel pathway, small pinpricks of blood started oozing from his hands. He let out a pathetic whine, feeling very small and helpless. 

Deciding he would do more harm than good by moving, Anakin sat back down right next to Obi-Wan. He pulled his Master into his lap and looked around, keeping watch for potential insurgents waiting to attack them. 

Anakin was exhausted and he could feel his eyes drooping, but he needed to stay awake. He needed to protect his Master.

Just as he was starting to lose the battle with consciousness, Anakin heard a distant shouting. He turned around and saw the prime minister’s guards running towards them. He sighed in relief. 

“Hey kid,” one of the guards said when he approached Anakin. “What happened?”

“I’m not sure, we… we were attacked.”

“Kid, you need a healer,” the man said urgently, eyeing his blood soaked tunic.

“I’m okay, my Master healed me,” Anakin said, lifting his shirt and revealing the closed wound. There was still a bright red scar, and some dried blood. “Mostly.”

“Still, you look like you’ve seen better days.”

“I’m alright, I just need help with him.”

The guard waved over one of his colleagues. Together, they threw an arm over each of their shoulders and dragged Obi-Wan towards the large palace. Anakin followed close behind, trying desperately to keep pace with the athletic guards. 

They carried Obi-Wan up to the guest room he had been given when they initially arrived. Obi-Wan and Anakin’s rooms were separate, but connected by an internal doorway. Both rooms were massive. Anakin recalled Obi-Wan scoffing at the opulence when they had first arrived.

The guards laid Obi-Wan down on the plush bed before turning to Anakin.

“We need to go attend to the prime minister. I’ll send for a healer for you and your friend.”

“Thank you,” Anakin said numbly.

Now alone, Anakin pulled a chair up to Obi-Wan’s bed and sat down heavily. He was tired, but he resolved to quietly keep vigil over his Master.


	3. Inheritance

Anakin hadn’t even realized he had fallen asleep until the healer gently tapped on his shoulders. He startled awake.

“Easy there, you’re alright.”

“What?” Anakin questioned groggily.

“Here, let me take a look at you.”

“What? No, I’m fine, it’s my Master, he’s…”

“I don’t know what he did to save you and I don’t know all that much about you Jedi types, but I know whatever he did took a lot out of him. His body is exhausted and is going to be weakened for a little while, but in my professional opinion, he’ll bounce back just fine.”

Anakin sighed and sank back into the chair. He let her examine him, but he kept his eyes trained on Obi-Wan. He noticed that the healer had set up an IV for him and she had several portable monitors lying on nearby tables. 

She scanned him and looked over him with a critical eye. She cleaned his palms, which had been scrapped up when he fell earlier, and bandaged them up. 

“I think you’re also going to be just fine. Looks like you might have a scar for a little while but I think even that will fade in time. Whatever he did…. It saved your life kid,” she said, unable to hide the awe in her voice. “Just make sure you keep your hands clean while those little cuts heal up.”

“Alright,” he acknowledged numbly. 

“Come, you should lie down. Get some real rest,” the healer said, motioning for him to follow her to the adjoining room. “You should also get into some clean clothes.”

Anakin looked down and realized he was still wearing his blood-stained tunic. He let his fingers graze over the hole in the shirt where he had been stabbed. He twirled the frayed edges of the material in his fingers.

The healer was probably right. He should get cleaned up and get some rest. Obi-Wan had done more than enough to save him, but he wasn’t one hundred percent healed. But then he looked back down at Obi-Wan and noted the pallor of his skin and the way the oversized bed made him look smaller. 

“I should stay with him.”

“You’re just going next door, hun. He’ll be fine, he just needs some sleep.”

His eyes lingered on Obi-Wan, but he sighed in resignation. “Alright.”

* * *

Two days had passed before Obi-Wan stirred. Anakin was by his side most of the time, so when he blinked up groggily at him, Anakin was thrilled.

“Master!” he shouted excitedly. Obi-Wan squeezed his eyes shut tightly and groaned. “Sorry, Master,” Anakin added more quietly.

Obi-Wan blinked at him again and looked him up and down. “I’m glad to see that you’re not dead,” he finally said, voice hoarse from disuse.

“I could say the same for you. Master, you were asleep for two days.”

“That long?” Obi-Wan questioned.

“Yes,” Anakin said quietly. “I was worried about you.” Anakin’s eyes fell to his hands. 

“You don’t need to worry about me, Anakin.”

“I think I have the right to.” Anakin said, insulted. “When I woke up, I thought you were dying.”

“I’m sorry, Padawan. I know that must have been difficult.”

“Obi-Wan, you used the Force to heal me didn’t you?” 

“Yes, Anakin. I did.”

Anakin felt his anger rising. 

“You shouldn’t have tried to heal me, Master. You could have died. You  _ almost  _ died.”

“I did what needed to be done Anakin,” Obi-Wan said soberly.

“Why? Why would you do that? You  _ knew _ it could kill you.” he questioned angrily. 

“I swore an oath to protect you,” Obi-Wan began. 

“Right,” Anakin said slowly, his eyes dark. “An oath to a dying man. That’s all I’ve ever been to you.”

“Anakin, no, that’s not...” Obi-Wan whispered before sinking into a coughing fit. 

“No, it’s true isn’t it?” Anakin replied. “You didn’t  _ choose  _ me like all of the other Master’s chose their Padawans. You  _ inherited  _ me.” 

He was angry.

He found himself feeling like this more and more frequently. Like he just couldn’t  _ stop  _ being angry. A part of him was aware he was spiraling, grasping at conclusions that were more grounded in insecurity than reality, but he couldn’t stop. It took Obi-Wan’s continued coughing to pull him from some of his darker emotions.

“Master?” Anakin questioned quietly, guilt creeping into his tone. He looked around the small room until his eyes landed on a pitcher of water. He quickly poured a glass and handed it to Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan took a few grateful sips and calmed his breathing.

He looked exhausted. Anakin’s guilt only increased. Obi-Wan just saved his life and now Anakin was yelling at him for it. The arguments he had were real, but he now realized he probably should have waited for Obi-Wan to get a little better before interrogating him. 

“I’m sorry, Master. I should leave you alone.”

“No, wait. We need to talk about this.”

Anakin stopped in his tracks and turned back towards Obi-Wan. He sat down and nodded at Obi-Wan.

“You’re right, Anakin,” he began slowly. “You came into my life under unusual circumstances. Having my Master killed in front of me, becoming a knight and immediately taking on a Padawan who had far exceeded the age limit and who would need specialized guidance was not how I thought my life was going to go.”

Anakin’s heart plummeted. He always knew it was true, but he never expected Obi-Wan to outright confirm his fears. It was unlike Obi-Wan to be so forthcoming with, well, anything. The words stung. He hung his head in defeat.

“But you’re also wrong,” Obi-Wan continued.

“What?” Anakin said, lifting his head up and looking into Obi-Wan’s tired blue eyes.

“You’re wrong. I  _ did  _ choose you. No one forced me to take you on. In fact, many advised against it. I could have become a knight, spent a few years alone working solo missions like most knights do in their first years. I’m sure another Master could have taken you and probably could have done a better job with you if I’m being honest with myself. But you’re wrong. I  _ chose _ to take you on as my Padawan. I didn’t do it out of a sense of duty or purpose, I did it because _ I wanted to.” _

“What?” Anakin said dumbly.

“Anakin, training you, guiding you in the ways of the Force is the honor of my life,” Obi-Wan said earnestly. “It’s obviously had its challenges, but do you really think I would pour all of my life force into someone I didn’t care about?”

Anakin was stunned. He didn’t know what to say. “Master… I…”

“Do you understand me?”

“Yes, Master,” Anakin said quietly.

“Good. Now, be a good Padawan and let your Master get some sleep.”

Anakin laughed. “Alright, Master.”

Anakin used the Force to turn off the lights in the room, and he sat back in the chair he had pulled up to Obi-Wan’s side. 

“Master?”

“Yes, Padawan?”

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome, Padawan.”


End file.
